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;void(0)) As a private practitioner I found that many of my child and adolescent referrals had a “school” component to them. By that I mean, many of the parents were either referred to me or, sometimes forced to address their child's behavior through some prompting from the teacher or child care facility. It is not that parents purposefully try to avoid getting their child needed help, but we Americans value our freedom and our individuality. Within the sanctity of our homes we do not take kindly to “outsiders” telling us that our own and our family members' little peccadilloes may be dysfunctional in the larger society. “This is a democracy ain't it?” Well, not exactly. In 1872 the Federal Government proposed a law making it compulsory for children from age 5 to 12 to attend school. This suggestion was met with intense hostility from hard working farmers and mill workers in the growing cities. These workers depended on the toil of their children to help put bread on the table. “Book learnin'” as the opponents of the time referred to the school system and its homework assignments, took up “a power of time.” Well-meaning parents of the time considered their children's time better spent, working. However, when it was put to a vote the majority of the American people voted to pay a tax, which would help to support the institution of the public school system as we know it. It was a momentous sociological accomplishment for several reasons, but mainly because of its impact on the emotional development of many of the nation's youth. The structure of the classroom or day care center, with its norms of behavior, demands placed on the child to perform up to standard, and the competition or cooperation with the other kids, can be devastating to a troubled child. The child whose behaviors had been protected at home, away from the observation of a scrutinizing public can no longer be overlooked. After a few months of individual, followed by family therapy, Johnnie and his parents were well on their way to working on their issues. Often, when a marriage is not working out the child becomes stuck in the middle of the conflict. The children at Johnnie's school noticed his strange behaviors and reacted the way that children do to one of their own that does not fit in. The teacher noticed that although he did well in his schoolwork, he could do better. He was something of a loner and he missed quite a few days due to vague somatic complaints. The teacher did not know the Smiths very well because they were new to the area. They moved quite often because of Mr. Smith's job responsibilities. Not much was known about his early school years. We do know that Johnnie never attended pre-school or day care because Ms. Smith spent the early years of his life at home working on her M.B.A. Part-time and devoting the rest of her time raising Johnnie. Ms. Smith had vivid recollections of Johnnie's first day at kindergarten. It was filled with high drama. Both parents drove him to the school. Mr. Smith waited in the car as the mother walked the boy into the classroom. The parting of the two dragged on interminably like something out of a Shakespearean play. Johnnie sat off to himself in a corner of the room refusing all contact with the other children and the staff. When he returned home he slept for the remainder of the evening, exhausted and emotionally drained. Please e-mail me and let me know your thoughts on this matter. Oh yeah, don't forget your autographed copy of “The Ackee Chronicles”. Tony VanSluytman - the Author  Newsletter Directory The Aton Project - Home Page Tony VanSluytman info Tony VanSluytman - the Author | Return Home | The BOOK DOCTOR | The BANYON NETWORK | The Banyon Buzz Newsletters | The Aton Project Newsletters | Contact Us | |
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